Gay men and lesbians throughout the Republic suffer from increased risk of suicide, psychological stress and negative mental health, a new report shows.
The report, commissioned by Gay HIV Strategies and the Northern Area Health Board, was undertaken to help discover strategies to promote the mental health of lesbians and gay men.
It finds the Republic lacks "discernible" psychiatric services and psychological support services dedicated to addressing gay and lesbian issues. "Research in Ireland has not addressed linkages between mental health and sexuality," the report adds.
Will Peters of Gay HIV Strategies said the report highlighted the high levels of discrimination faced by lesbians and gay men in their experiences at home, in school and in the workplace.
"The report outlines how these experiences can lead to feelings of isolation, depression and exclusion, culminating in poor mental health and, in some cases, suicidal inclination," he said.
The increased risk of poor mental health among gay men and lesbians stems from a number of factors, including isolation from their family and social group, and the fear or experience of violent crimes and social abuse from neighbours, family members and strangers.
The study found many gay men and lesbians were reluctant to bring up their sexuality as an issue to support services, and when they do, it sometimes resulted in "negative, even damaging, personal consequences".
To help combat the problem, the report recommends increasing mental healthcare providers' information and counselling resources at the community and local level and raising awareness in the healthcare system of sexuality as an issue in relation to mental health.
One means of achieving these goals is the development of a list of gay-friendly practitioners in the mental health field, it says.
Another key objective is better use of the data collected by call-in helplines.
An analysis of this data could provide clues to help to understand underlying causes and trends of mental health issues and identify areas of the current mental healthcare system that need improvement.
Existing data from gay helplines suggests many gays and lesbians report high levels of stress associated with disclosure or non-disclosure of their sexuality, with some of these individuals displaying suicidal tendencies.